Closure for unrefillable containers



p 1953 R. M. BERNAL 2,653,726

CLOSURE FOR UNREFILLABLE CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 4, 1951 ATTORNE/J.

3Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ApplicationDecember 4, 1951, Serial No. 259,839 In Cuba December 23, 1950 2 Claims.

This invention relates to closures for unrefillable containers, andparticularly to closures of that kind which are provided with a ballabove the valve so as to force the valve to remain on its seat therebypreventing the entrance of liquid into the container or bottle.

The object of this invention is to provide a closure of the ball typewhich comprises a valvecarrier body which is almost completely insertedwithin the bottle neck and has a plane seat provided with a loweraxle-box supported on four oblique depending arms and whose function isto serve as a guide for a vertical pin inferiorly secured to the planevalve, the valve-carrier body having lodged therein a loose glass ballwhich rests by its own weight on the plane valve, and the valve-carrierbody has an upper rim of greater diameter than the very valve-carrierbody to form an annular projection the horizontal base of which restsupon the inner portion of an annular packing resting on the top edge ofthe bottle.

The closure of this invention also comprises a rather short cylindricalcasing the lower edge of which rests on the outer portion of the annularpacking and the upper portion of which has a raised central mouth forliquid discharge from the bottle, and the top portion of the casing hasinteriorly thereof in crossed arrangement four radial horizontal. ribsending interiorly in four sloped teeth with recesses at the inner end ofthe ribs and at the inner cylindrical surface of the mouth; a hard-metalsquare sheet interposed by its points between the upper edge of theprojecting rim of the valve-carrier body and the lower face of the fourradial ribs projecting downwardly from the lower face of the top planeportion of the casing to allow between the straight sides of the sheetand the inner cylindrical surface of the casing body foursegment-of-a-circle spaces for the passage of inner liquid from thebottle towards the casing mouth, said hard-metal sheet having fourcrossed openings wherethrough fit the four downward projecting teeth ofthe casing, and the openings of the sheet being provided at their inneredge with raised lugs adapted to fit into the inner vertical recessedends of the four horizontal ribs of the casing and the mouth innersurface with which said lugs are adapted to flush; and a strap thatinviolably secures the casing to the bottle neck thereby forming aclosure device in which the outward passageof the liquid is prevented atthe central portion that is obturated by the metal sheet which onlyprovides four peripherial passageways through which an instrument suchas a wire can hardly be inserted towards the valve for the purpose ofholding the latter open and thereby refilling the bottle or containerwith a liquid of inferior quality, whereupon this closure is efficientagainst violations.

The invention is described with reference to the figures of theaccompanying drawing. of which:

Fig. 1 is a diametral vertical section view of the closure of thisinvention, showing the closure applied to the mouth of a bottle neck invertical position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, viewed frombeneath.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in diametralvertical section, of the closure valve-carrier body.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plane view of the valve- .carrier body.

Fig. 5 is a detailed View, partly in elevation and partly in diametralvertical section, of the closure casing.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plane view of the casing.

Fig. 7 is a top plane view of the square hardmetal sheet interposedbetween the casing and the valve-carrier body.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1, showing the bottle neck withthe closure in an inclined position to pour the inner liquid from thebottle.

Fig. 10 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1, show- 6 ing a modified formof the closure casing, the

same forming the strap to inviolably secure the closure to the bottleneck.

l ig. ll is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in diametralvertical section, of the modified form of the closure casing.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a bottle neck having an outer shoulder 2 atits top end portion and the inner diameter of which shall be slightlygreater than that of the neck of the bottles commonly used forcontaining alcoholic beverages or liquors, so that it can easily lodgetherein for the discharge of liquid 3 from the bottle in an amountnearly equal as in a common bottle, a valve-carrier cylindrical body tmade of plastic material and having at its top edge a horizontal annularflange 5 bent upwards at a right angle to form a projecting rim 5 ofgreater diameter than the valve-carrier body 4, the annular flange 5being adapted to rest on the inner portion of an annular packing 6superposed to the top edge of the bottle neck I. The valve-carrier body4 thus remains lodged almost completely within the bottle neck I and ithas inferiorly a horizon tal bottom "I provided with a central opening 8that is normally obturated by a plane disc valve 9 resting on the bottomI, said valve being provided with a downwardly projecting central pin lH which is guided in its movement to and from engagement with its seatWithin a vertical axlebox I I formed vertically beneath the centralportion of opening 8 by four spaced apart arms l2 obliquely depending ina circle from the bottom T serving as a seat for the plane valve 9.

Uponthe plane valve 9 loosely rests a glass ball [3 which in the normalvertical position of the bottle I forces by gravity the valve 9 to restupon its seat, thereby keeping the opening 8 closed.

This closure has a cylindrical casing [4 made of plastic material andopen at the bottom and closed on top by a horizontal portion having acentral opening l5 on the edge of which is raised a cylindrical mouth [6adapted to be closed by an inner cork stopper or an outerly fittingplastic cover, and the casing l4 rests by its inner edge on the outerportion of the annular packing 6 adjacently the top projecting rim 5 ofthe valvecarrier body 4. Said casing I4 is provided at the inner face ofit stop horizontal portion with four rather thick crossed radial ribs l1ending interiorly in channeled recesses [8 formed also vertically at theinner cylindrical surface of the mouth It; for the purpose that will bepresently explained, and from the inner ends of the four ribs l1downwardly project vertical teeth [9 having their inner face outwardlysloped to guide and retain the ball l3.

Betweenthe lower face of the four crossed radial ribs [1 andthe top edgeof the projecting rim 5' of the valve-carrier body 4 is interposed ahard-metal sheet of square shape (Fig. '7) which rests by its points onthe top edge of the projecting rim 5 and has four square openings2lspaced apart from one another inv crossed arrangement, the inner endof which end in raised lugs 22.

The openings 2] are adapted to receive therethrough the. four teeth l9downwardly projecting from the inner ends of the ribs H, the raised lugs22 being adapted to remain lodged within the vertical channeled.recesses 18 formed in the inner surface of the raised mouth is with theinner surface of which the inner faces of the lugs 22 flush.

The casing. I4 is inviolably secured to the bottle neck I by means of ametal strap 23 whose upper end is bent. upon an annular. recess 24formed in the top edge of the casing 14 and whose lower end is bentbeneath the shoulder 2 of the bottle neck I, as it is usual withclosures of this kind.

The operation of this closure is as follows: As the bottle is invertedin an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawing, the glassball l3 falls by its own weight upon the hard-metal sheet 20 as guidedin its movement by the teeth l9, thereby loosening the plane valve 9which will also fall and withdraw from its seat I thereby opening theopening 8 wherethrough the liquid 3 from the bottle I will be free toflow, and the liquid will then pass about the ball l3 and towards thesegment-of-a-circle shaped hollow spaces 25 (Fig. 2) formed. between thefour straight sides of the metal sheet 20 and the inner cylindricalsurface of the casing body I4 and extending between two ribs I! andprojecting downwardly from the lower face of the top horizontal portionof the casing M, the liquid then passing from said hollow spaces 25 intothe inner hole of the raised mouth It, as indicated by the arrows inFig. 9.

By reason of the obturation of the mouth l6 by the central portion ofthe hard-metal sheet 20, it is impossible to perforate this sheet with asharp instrument for the purpose of making a central opening for theinsertion of a wire to hold the valve 9 and to keep, it raised on itsseat I, and it will be very diflicult to cause a wire to pass throughthe sinuous passageway formed by the segment-shaped hollow spaces25,firstly. towards the periphery of the casing l4 and then towards theinner space of the valve-carrier body 4 to engage the valve 9, whichoperation will also be prevented by the annular flange 5 of the valve- 4carrier body 4, which flange 5 is positioned quite near the teeth [9.

Instead of the metal strap 23', the casing H, which is as a rule made ofa plastic material, might be of a diameter slightly smaller than thebottleneck l, as shown in the modified form of casing [4' shown in Figs.10 and 11 of the drawing, so that the casing l4 would be provided with acylindrical extension 26 having its upper edge secured tothe lower edgeof the body [4' through a horizontal annular flange 21 and its loweredge 28 may be bent beneath the shoulder 2 of the bottle neck I byapplying heat with a suitable sealing apparatus to soften the plasticmaterial at said place.

It is obvious that changes may be made within certain limits in theconstruction details of the closure parts, without thereby altering theessential character of the invention which is such as claimedhereinafter.

What I claim is:

1. A closure for an unrefillable container of the type having a neckformed at the upper end thereof comprising a cylindrica1 valve-carrierbody made of plastic material and completely fitted within the containerneck, said body being open at the top thereof and closed inferiorly by abottom having a central opening therein, an upper horizontal flangeformed outwardly of the body to rest on the top edge of the neck of thecontainer, a top rim formed upwardly from the flange, a disc valvenormally sealing the hole in the bottom of the valve-carrier body, a.ball within said body normally resting on the disc valve, a plasticcylindrical casin having a top horizontal portion with a cylindricaloutlet mouth portion of reduced diameter projecting upwardly andcentrally thereof, four radially extending crossed ribs formed on thelower surface of said horizontal portion, teeth projecting down wardlyfrom the interior ends of th ribs to retain the ball, a hard-metalsquare sheet resting on the top rim of the valve-carrier body betweensaid rim and the lower surfaces of the crossed ribs to define segmentalsheet outlet passageways between each of its four sides and the innerperiphery of the casing, said sheet having openings therein throughwhich the rib teeth extend and a metallic strap securing the casing tothe neck of the bottle'to prevent removal of the closure and violationof said sheet.

2. A closure. for an unreflllable container as claimed in ,claim 1,including lugs projecting upwardly from the inner edges of the openingsof the hard-metal sheet, said lugs adapted to flushly fit recessesformed vertically in the periphery of the outlet mouth of the casingandrespectively in alinement with the crossed ribs, saidsheet obturatingthe outlet passageways sufficiently to prevent violation of the closurevia the outlet mouth and yet permit the flow of liquid from thecontainer, out. of said passageways andrsaid mouth.

RICARDO MORE BERNAL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 685,114 Davis Oct. 22, 1901 2,115,721 Jackson May 3, 1938FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number I Country Date 7 27,490 Switzerland Dec. 19; 1903.

